The ostomy coupling shown in British Patent Specification No. 1571657 and illustrated in FIG. 1 of the present application has received wide acceptance and approval among ostomates. The coupling comprises first and second inter-engageable coupling parts 10, 12 which are securable together with a press fit. The first coupling part 10 comprises an annular rib and is directly mounted on an adhesive wafer 14 of the body fitment. The second coupling part 12 comprises an annular channel member and is mounted around the mouth of a collection pouch 16. The coupling parts 10, 12 are manufactured in a range of different diameters to suit different stoma size requirements, and the ostomate selects components of matching coupling size.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,419,100, U.S. Pat. No. 4,610,676, U.S. Pat. No. 4,610,677 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,730,735 teach a modification designed to reduce discomfort that some ostomates may experience as a result of the attachment force applied through the body fitment to the skin, when the coupling parts are pressed together. The problem of discomfort is especially important during post-operative care, when the stoma surgery is recent and the abdominal skin is very tender. These latter documents teach a flexible collar suspension permanently secured between the adhesive wafer and the coupling part of the body fitment. The flexible collar allows the coupling part to be displaced away from or “float” with respect to the adhesive wafer, at least by a sufficient amount for a user to insert one or more fingers behind the coupling part, in order to manually support the coupling part against the attachment force when the appliance is pressed against the body fitment. While this technique is successful in reducing transmission of the attachment force to the sensitive abdominal skin during post-operative care, there are several disadvantages that make this type of coupling less than ideal for everyday use: (1) the appliances tend to be larger than equivalent systems where no flexible collar is used; (2) the profile of the system is higher than similar systems without a flexible collar, due to the increased thickness; (3) there is a tendency for the appliance to sag away from the adhesive wafer, since the flexible collar is explicitly provided to allow the pouch to float away from the surface of the wafer; and (4) the cost of the device is higher than a conventional system without a flexible collar, since the manufacturing costs are higher. A manufacturer wishing to accommodate specific customer preferences for post-operative care, and also different customer preferences for everyday use, would need to manufacture different types of body fitment both with, and without, the flexible collar, leading to significant burden of increased inventory and manufacturing costs.
The present invention has been devised bearing the above in mind.